5 Websites That Will Pay You to Kick Your Bad Habits
Bad habits are expensive.
The CDC estimates that the average smoker spends more than $3000 a year on their habit and that being overweight costs the average person more than $1,500 a year in extra health insurance costs.
If you’re ready to break your bad habits, these five websites have a novel approach to help you – they’ll pay you!
Couch Surfing – Turn off Pawn Stars and hit the gym
1. Nexercise.com – This company has an iPhone app that will reward you for performing 15 minutes or more of physical activity. The app uses the iPhone’s technology to track the length of your workout (no word yet on an Android application). The rewards come randomly so you won’t make money every time, but users have reported winning $5 gift cards to stores like Amazon and Best Buy after their workout.
2. EarndIt.com – Once you’ve registered for a free account, this site syncs itself up with your GPS device to reward you with points for exercising. It’s compatible with a number of devices including most mobile phones, Nike+ sensors, and Garmin devices. The points can later be redeemed for gift certificates and prizes. It’s an easy way to make money and get in shape at the same time!
Texting & Driving – You can “LOL” after you park
3. SafeCellApp.com – More than 16,000 people were killed in the last six years by texting drivers and SafeCellApp has teamed up with its sponsors to reward people for quitting this dangerous habit. Their smartphone app will track the number of minutes you drive without texting and will send you with a $5 Visa gift card for every 5,000 miles you drive safely.
Smoking – Time to Quit. Cough. Cough.
4. ClinicalTrials.gov – The National Institute of Health’s website is a great resource to find paying research studies in your area. Right now there are quite a few studies around the country that will pay you to try to quit smoking. The studies pay anywhere from $20 to $900 depending on the amount of time they require from you.
Leaving the Lights On – What would Bill Nye think?
5. RecycleBank.com – Alright, it might not be the most dangerous bad habit, but leaving the lights on after you leave home is a waste of energy and an easy way to rack up needless electricity costs. This cool website will reward you for pledging to turn them off. You can also make money recycling your trash with Recyclebank and pledging to switch to bottle water.
So get to work on dropping your bad habits! Besides bettering yourself, who wouldn’t mind a little extra cash in their wallet?
